Heart on Display in Abilene
Recapping Holy Cross vs. Lubbock Christian
by Jacob Bermudez ('25) on November 24, 2025
In Abilene on Friday afternoon, the scoreboard told one story. Anyone who watched Holy Cross play four full quarters against one of TAPPS Division III’s best saw something much deeper.
The Knights fell 48-27 to Lubbock Christian in the Regional Championship, closing out their season one step short of the state semifinals. But from the opening kick to the final whistle, Holy Cross showed exactly who they’ve been all year: a team that refuses to back down, no matter the name on the other sideline.
Missing senior running back Taylor Flores for the second straight playoff game and losing senior John “J.J.” Acosta early in the first quarter, the Knights were forced to adjust on the fly against one of the most explosive offenses in the state. Still, they punched first and kept swinging.
Sophomore quarterback Rocky Orozco led the way with one of his best performances of the year, throwing for 330 yards and four touchdowns on 17-of-26 passing. He spread the ball around all night. Sophomore Crew Hudson turned in a huge game with 139 yards and two touchdowns on six catches, including scores from 70 and 36 yards out. Senior Johnathan Perez made his mark with a 32-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter. Senior Diego Flores opened the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, and senior Julian “J.R.” Salas finished with five receptions for 109 yards, helping keep the Knights moving through the air.
Every time it felt like Lubbock Christian might pull away, Holy Cross found a way to answer. Down 27-12 at the half, the Knights rallied in the third quarter behind big passing plays, cutting into the lead and keeping pressure on an LCS team that’s used to putting games away early. Even as Lubbock Christian continued to lean on its powerful run game and depth, the Knights never let the moment shrink them.
Offensively, Holy Cross stayed aggressive and fearless, trusting the same identity that carried them through a season full of twists and adversity.
Defensively, they battled against a dynamic attack led by Jace Jackson and Dai Dai Atkins, a duo that’s given opponents trouble all year. The Knights were tested in every phase, and they kept competing in every phase.
And that really is the heart of this story.
Holy Cross didn’t get here by accident. This is the same group that embraced an “any time, any place, anywhere” mentality and backed it up, lining up against some of TAPPS’ best and proving they belonged. They weathered off-field adversity, roster hits, and injuries, yet continued to show up every week believing they could play with anyone.
In Abilene, that belief never wavered, even as the clock ended on their season. For the seniors, this was the final chapter in a journey defined by toughness, leadership, and buy-in. Players like Taylor Flores, J.R. Salas, J.J. Acosta, Diego Flores, Aiden and Jayden Olivarez, Chris Ponce, and the rest of the senior class leave behind more than stats. They leave a standard. A mindset. A blueprint for what it looks like to wear “Holy Cross” across your chest and mean it.
For the next upperclassmen, Rocky Orozco, Crew Hudson, Austin Abrego, A.J. Eguia, Andrew Ybarra, Mike Gonzalez, and the rest, this game becomes part of the foundation. They’ve seen what it takes at the Regional level. They’ve felt what it’s like to stand across from a championship-caliber program on a neutral field with everything on the line.
The Road to Glory didn’t end the way Holy Cross wanted. But in Abilene, their heart was on full display, the same heart that carried them through every long practice, every bus ride, every Friday night under the lights.
The season ends here.
The standard they set does not.
